A labyrinth of hallways, doors and staircases leads to the basement of the University Memorial Center on the University of Colorado campus.

Somewhere in the maze lurks the KVCU studio, where thousands of CD cases, stacked floor-to-ceiling, obscure its walls. This dark studio comes to life every other Friday night with the voice of Mike Brooks, creator and host of Climbtalk Radio, the only climbing radio show on Earth.

Brooks has climbed locally for the last 40 years, with a particular interest in Eldorado Canyon in the 1970s and 1980s. There, he pioneered more new routes (about 200) than probably anyone else.

"When I'd get done climbing I'd lie in bed, dreaming of the next line," he said.

But after a near-fatal slip while free-soloing in Eldo in the late 1980s, Brooks took a step back from risk.

"I have too many dead friends," he said, shaking his head. While he still climbs several days a week, he's less cavalier now.

Climbtalk, which Brooks started in 2008, is like an echo from his early days in Eldo.

"I like to do things that no one's done before," he said. "That's a challenge."

Actually, it's not Brooks' slow and quiet tenor that livens up the mics on Fridays at KVCU; it's the booming baritone of co-host Dave McAllister, on air since 2010. An avid climber of 14 years, McAllister is also a successful freelance writer and manager of a small company in Denver. Nowadays on Climbtalk, McAllister steers the interviews while Brooks interjects a dose of sarcasm from the sidelines.

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Brooks and Geoff Anderson split air time several years ago, so Anderson runs the show every other Friday.

This year alone, Climbtalk has featured dozens of famous local climbers including Jim Erickson, Madaleine Sorkin, Cory Richards, Jamie Emerson, Kelly Cordes and Josh Wharton. There's a loose theme to each show, but its trajectory is fluid and unpredictable. After all, it's live, unscripted and unedited.

I was a guest on Climbtalk the day after Thanksgiving, ostensibly to discuss climbing in Eldo. But the conversation flowed circuitously between topics as disparate as my Tofurky dinner the night before and how I deal with hate mail related to this column.

Carol Kotchek, Front Range chairwoman of the American Alpine Club, was on Climbtalk this past March. Her impression was, "In the age of tweets, YouTube and Facebook, it felt retro to have a casual conversation with Mike and Dave on their show. It jibes with what I love most about climbing: the grassroots community that binds us all together."

Boulder's Jonathan Siegrist has been on Climbtalk three times. He said, "I like that people get a sense of voice for the characters on the show. It's not easy to get to know someone by just reading interviews or looking at photos."

A climbing talk show is great and all, but does anyone actually listen to Climbtalk from 9 to 10 p.m. on a Friday?

Based on time slot stats, Brooks estimates there are more than 2,000 listeners. But never mind the numbers -- they have an international audience.

"One time I got an email from a dude on the Isle of Man (in the U.K.) saying he loved the show," boasted Brooks. McAllister points to fans in Korea, Canada and all over the U.S.

You can listen to Climbtalk at 1190 AM, but for those of us who haven't turned on a radio in at least a decade, you can also stream it live at radio1190.org. And as of last week listeners can tune into Climbtalk archives and subscribe to the podcast for free on iTunes.

"The iTunes thing is gigantic," McAllister said. "It is the premier step. Now we're gonna have to step up our game. You've seen us in the studio -- we're a couple of clowns."

Despite Climbtalk's recent surge in popularity, Brooks takes pride in the show's laid-back attitude, its unscripted nature and that, when he enters the studio, his only plan is to "wing it."

"Because, you know, climbing is dangerous," he said. "This is just fun."

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